A protest organised by ‘Crips Against Cuts’ gathered in the city centre to campaign against cuts in disability benefits on Saturday.

The protest was one of many organised by the group on March 22nd, which was their global day of action. Demonstrations spanned across 14 cities and towns in England and Scotland, including Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester.

The group is a decentralised organisation led by those with disabilities, some of whom are potentially facing major cuts in benefits under Labour’s proposed changes to PIP outlined in the Spring Statement.

One protester, Charlotte White, said: “It is incredibly trying, to have to keep fighting for rights just to allow people to live.”

The proposed cuts will make it harder for people to gain access to PIP, which the group say they believe is an attack on “society’s most vulnerable.”

The group has also expressed that cuts to PIP could be potentially life-threatening for some, as many disabled people rely on the payments to live. The cuts could see 370,000 recipients losing their daily living entitlements by 2029, according to the Disability News Service.

The cuts affect the daily living entitlement, meaning only those who are entirely unable to bathe or eat without assistance are eligible. This means that many people with intellectual disabilities such as autism will no longer receive funds.

Another protester, Alex Rogers, added: “I think this is an attack on the neurodivergent. I was on PIP, and it saved my life.”

MPs for Sheffield Central and Sheffield South East, Abtisam Mohamed and Mr Clive East, have both shown support for the changes to PIP proposed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, with both being sponsors for a motion that welcomes the changes. Mr East is also the primary sponsor for this motion.

In an Instagram post shared after the demonstration, the group, alongside Sheffield Women’s Collective, said: “This is a deliberate, brutal choice to strip disabled people of their dignity, independence and survival. We will not stand for it.”

Further protests have been organised for later dates, including internet-based demonstrations for those who struggle to leave home or live in rural areas.